Rotary engine.



No. 699,740.- Patented May la, -|902. u. E. ARTHUR.'

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Appucmsxfm med Nov. 1e, moo.) (lo lndel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

willing?" ullI figg. 'lhl'l um D MJ 7111i afinar-nt? Patented May I3, |902.

J. E. ARTHUR.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application :Bled Nov. 16, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

THE nouw: wins co. movauwo iviTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.IOHN E. ARTHUR, OF LANE, ILLINOIS,

ROTARYENG'INE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,740, dated May 13, `1902. Application filed November 16, v1900. Serial No. 36,669. (No model.)

fo all whom t may conceive.- v Be it known that I, JOHN E. ARTHUR, of Lane, in the county of Dewitt and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and it is defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming part of this speci` fication, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine constructed-in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the engine. Fig. 3 is a representation of the interior of one-half of the cylinder easing, showing the `frame or bed and the heads of the cylinders -in cross-section. Fig. 4 is a representation of the exterior surface of one of the cylindercasings, showing a cone with steam-passages and cut-offs or bridges therein. Fig. 5 is a detail of the conical bearing in which the steam-passages and cut-offs are located, the valve-casing Aor steam-chest and one of the boxes being shown in section. Fig. 6 is a perspective representation of the quarterboxes and slides forV the crankshaft. Fig. 7 is a perspective representation of one of the wedges used to take up wear in the quar' ter-boxes and the slides. Fig. 8 is a detail of a valve used to draw water from the cyl-` r1 ."he'crank-shaft is held against rotation while' the engine is working. One of its endsvis journaled or has bearings in the cylinder` casing and its other end extends through a bearing of the cylinder-casing. An arm or lever 3 is fastened onto the protruding end of the crankshaft, and it has a set-screw 4, which is set into one of two holes, as 5, in the frame to hold the crankshaft in one or the other of its operative positions. der-Casin gis preferably cylindrical in general outline and concentric with the body, of the crank-shaft. It is vcomposed of two'parts 6 and 9, which are secured together by screws 7, passing through part 6 and entering screwholes 25 in part 9 or in any suitable manner. Cylinders 2O are formed in the casing diametrical therewith. Cylinder-heads 11 are secured in the perimeter of the casing by screws 12 and conform to the curvature thereof. A pair of pistons 22 are fastened rigidly to opposite sides ofa cross-head 23, and the crosshead is slotted at right angles with the axes of the pistons to receive the crank 2a of the crank-shaft 2, as shown in Fig. 3. The crank is journaled in quarter-boxes 26a, and special provision is made for taking up the wear of the quarter-boxes and the slides therefor, as will hereinafter appear. The cross-head has slide-bearings 24H11 the cylinder-casing,which aids in keeping the movements of the pistons diametrical with relation to the casing and the crank-shaft therein. The protruding end of the crank-shaft journals in boxing 18. It extends through a Vstuffing-box 19 and into the casing. Itscrank` is in line with the centers of the pistons, and itsinn'er end has a bearing in spindle 26 ofthe part 9 of the casingor in the wall of such part of the casing. The spindle 26 is made conical at 27, and in the conical surface is formed a pair of grooves 28, that act as passages for live steam and exhaust alternately. These grooves are circumferential of the conical surface, and

vthey are separated by bridges or solid portion for a steam-pipe and its end 15 provides a connection for an exhaust-pipe. The bores of the collar communicate each with opposite grooves of the cone alternately, the movements of the bridges past the bores acting to shift the communications. The cone ter1ni natos beyond the steam-chest collarin a shaft ,31, on which the drive-wheel 17 ismounted,

and a box 16 supports shaft31 between the drive-wheel and the cone. The box 16 is -grooved circularly in itsface adjoining the collar, as shown at 32 in Fig. 5, and a spiral spring 33 rests in the groove of. the box and exerts pressure on the collar, tending to force it in contact with the cone. A lateral rib or reinforcement 10 extends diametrically across the outer face of part 9 of the cylinder-casing, and in such'rib are steam-passages 30, that connect the grooves in the conc with IOO openings or ports 2l in the outer ends ofthe cylinders of the engine. The-steam-passages extend through spindle 26 to the rib 10, and thence extend radially with relation to the cylinder-casing.

To provide means for draining the engine of any Water it may contain to prevent damage from freezing,for instance, a groove 37 is formed in the inner edge of one of the parts of the cylinder-casing and is made to communicate at its ends with the interior of the cylinder outside the pistons. A plugvalve 36 is set crosswise of the groove at the center thereof and is provided with a passage-way or slot 36, that establishes communication between the two parts of the groove when the plugis turned in the proper direction. The plug is bored longitudinally inward from the slot 36a, and a cross bore (shown in'dottedlines in Fig. Sat 36h) penetrates the plug at right angles with the slot thereof. A pipe 38 establishes a' communication between the cylinder-casing inside the pistons and the plug 3G, and when the plug is turned with lits slot in line with the groove 37 the boretb lines up with pipe 38 on one side and the outlet 39 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5) on the other sidefand provides an Y outlet for all the water von both sides of the pistons.

`The boxing for the crank'of the crank-shaft comprises the quarter-boxes 26, set inside Athe slide-boxes 34 crosswise thereof and with room at the ends of-the slide-boxes for wedges 35. The Wedges are pyramidal or tapered both ways, and their tendency is when tight en'ed to force the quarter-boxes against the crank-bearin g and the slide-boxes against the cross-head bearings.` The slide-boxes are 40 flanged on one side to embrace or overlap the cross-head bearings and the quarter-boxes p are flanged on the opposite side for the same purpose. The' wedges 35 are bored lengthwise and screw-threaded,and screws 27a (seen only in Fig. 3) extend through the quarterboxes and into the smaller ends of the wedges. A plug 8 in Fig. l is set into the cylinder-casing in circular alinement with the screws 27al of the boxes, and when it is desired to take np wear in the boxes of the crank the plug 8 is removed, the casing and the crank are moved until one of screws 2'7iL is in line with the plug-opening, when a screw-driver is linserted through the opening and the screw is made to draw the wedge small end foremost into the space between the parts of the crankboxes and to spread such parts in directions to take up all wear. Next the other screw 27 is brought into alinement with the plugopen-ing and tightened, and finally the plug is replaced.

In operation the cylinder-casing revolves while the pistons reciprocate in their cylinders. The crank of the crank-shaft forms a bearing against which the pistons push while taking steam and moving from their nearest approach to the center ofthe engine to their greatest distance therefrom. Each cylinder takes steam throughout one half of a complete rotation of Ithe engine, approximately, and exhausts during the other halt-rotation. Steam is admitted as a port-groove 2,8 of the cone moves into communication with the steam-port of the steam-chest collar 13, and it is exhausted after such groove is out of communication with the live-steam supply and in communication with the exhaust. The bridges 29 separate one groove 28 from the other groove in the cone, and the lengths of the bridges determine for how long in its semirotation each cylinder may receive live steam. As shown in the drawings, the bridges are quite short, and so the live steam is supplied for nearly the entire semirotation of each cylinder or nearly all the time to the two cylinders; but by making the bridges longer the steam will be supplied for a proportionately shorter time and expansion ot' steam will be utilized. f

When it is desired to reverse the engine, the lever 3 is turned to-a position diametrically opposite that shown in Figs. l and 2, thus reversing the position of the crank of the crank-shaft, and the push of the pistons against the crank will then be exerted in a direction opposite that developed in the shown correlation of parts. The collar 13 is held against rotation with the cone, but it is free to move lengthwise of the axis of the cone, and the spring 33 automatically takes up wear in the cone and the collar by forcing the collar against the cone.

The bearing for the drive-shaft is between the cone and the drive-pulley, and so steam does not pass through the bearing to heat it injuriously.

The cross-head is iixed at right angles with the paths of the pistons, and as the pistons push against the crank the friction developed in the cross-head is utilized in giving the cylinders a tiltin the direction to produce rotary motion in the cylinder-casing.

The right to claim the boxing comprising the pair ot slide-boxes containing a pair of quarterboxes,pyramidal wedges between the quarter-boxes and the slide-boxes, and screws in the small ends of the wedges, in other environments and combinations than those herein shown, is hereby reserved.

I claiml. In a reciprocating rotary engine, a circular casing for the diametrical cylinders having a groove communicating with the outer ends of the cylinders, a pipe running from the space between pistons to the groove and a three-way valve at the intersection of the pipe with the groove, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of al tog IIO

IZO

shaft, a pair of quarter-boxes embracing the In testimony wbereof Isign my name in the crank, a pair of slide-boxes containing the presence of two subscribing witnesses. quarter-boxes and :lltinfJr in the slot ofthe cross-head, pyramidal vredges between the JOHN E' ARTHUR' quarterboxes and the slide-boxes and screws Witnesses: in the small ends of wedges, substantially as J. W. MCPHERSON,

and for the purpose described. A. D. KARR. 

